New style of city hotel attracts attention

Citizen M is an emerging hotel chain with a special niche of guests in mind: design loving, tech savvy travellers who are happy to save on accommodation with very small rooms rather than suites or ensuite doubles. These are “pod hotels”. The Amsterdam-based chain currently has only four hotels open, but the hotel industry is watching their development closely – especially the 24-floor, 240-room Citizen M in central New York. Rates there will be around the average for the city, about $250 a night, but the location in the Times Square area is hard to beat.There are two Citizen M hotels in Amsterdam – one near Schipol airport and another in the city – plus one close to the Tate Modern gallery in London and a fourth in Glasgow. A second property is planned for New York and construction starts this month on a hotel in Paris.“Metropolises are the most interesting for anybody,” Michael Levie, a Citizen M founder and executive. “If you can wiggle your tail in, it’s worthwhile for everyone.”At a Citizen M hotel, expect bold colours and tech-friendly features, free WiFi and movies, a grab-and-go eating area and small but home-like public spaces with leather couches. USA Today[photo courtesy Citizen M]